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Zheng Hao Chinese Restaurant, Enmore

Mr Black and I LOVE our dumplings. I have spent many an hour beating sticky, cold pork mince by hand to achieve just the correct consistency of filling. I even dedicated six gruelling hours of my precious holiday time in Hong Kong to learn from the dumpling master mistress, Martha Sherpa, how to make the perfect xiao long bao, potstickers and other delicacies.

Occasionally we venture beyond our usual dumpling joints to sample new places. Zheng Hao sounded promising, so recently we gave it a try.

We started with the sang choi bao. The mince was predominantly mushroom, with little crunchy bits of water chestnut. It was very different to the typical pork-mince-with-some-flavour-added, and I actually really liked it. It had a real depth of flavour and the texture was an intriguing combination of soft, slippery and crunchy.

We deviated from our usual dish of gai larn or choy sum in oyster/garlic sauce, and ordered the mixed vegies with mushroom…. and bamboo shoots. We all found this dish just ok. The strong flavour of the mushrooms was a bit overwhelming, plus they were left whole and thus hard to eat. Also, I hate bamboo shoots. It’s my one thing. They make me feel like I’m licking the inside of a tin. Anyone else hate them? Anyone? Hello…?!

The salt and pepper prawns were a welcome sight. (I wanted squid as it’s sustainable but someone at our table didn’t like squid. Boo.) I am glad that we got it anyway, as it was gorgeous! Crisp, batter not too thick, and with a decent kick. Next time, I’ll go alone and get the squid. ;)

The highlight of the meal, however, were the dumplings: one plate of boiled with pork and coriander, one plate of Northern Chinese potstickers. These are the real deal. Handmade, delicate, squidgy dough, with intensely flavoursome and juicy filling. YUM!!!!! I will now leave you with some gratuitous food porn shots of the dumpling goodness. I must go, looking at these pictures is making me hungry, and the drool is getting on the keyboard. Enjoy!